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Adequate Representation

Most legal systems are rather complicated and intimidating. They have their own vocabulary and procedures with which most of us are unfamiliar. Even so, sometimes, when people find themselves in trouble, they attempt to represent themselves in court. For a variety of reasons, they reject the idea of having a lawyer direct their case and speak on their behalf.

This is a great frustration for many professionals in the legal system because valuable time is wasted as the inexperienced defendant makes procedural blunders and has to have explanations given to get them back on track. Those who chose to represent themselves are often strongly encouraged to retain counsel. It is significant that even when lawyers get into legal trouble, they hire other lawyers to represent them.

Having a professional to handle one’s case is so important that most legal systems make provision of a lawyer to work with people who can’t afford to hire one themselves. The law itself recognizes that the uninitiated is unlikely to find justice without someone who speaks the language and understands the procedures of the court.

Within the spiritual realm, having adequate representation is even more important, mostly, because more is at stake. There is no higher court to which one might appeal to overturn God’s decisions, so each person has just one opportunity to make a case for a favourable eternal destiny.

Even under such stressful circumstances, some choose to represent themselves, citing their own attempts at living in a way that pleases God. These arguments are doomed to failure, because just as in human courts, people often miss the point, these people do as well. It is not a life of rigid conformity to a set of standards that makes us acceptable to God. He’s looking for a life of faith and a vibrant relationship.

Those who give up on themselves and accept Jesus as their legal representative are in an entirely different situation. Christians are aware that they fail in living up to God’s standards. But rather than trying to make up for their failures somehow, they turn to their representative. 1 John 2:1 reminds believers that when we sin, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” And Hebrews 7:25 assures us that “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (NIV)

Jesus is unique because He not only represents us before the court of Heaven, He also fulfilled the sentence which our guilty verdict requires. Thus He is the perfect One to speak on our behalf.

When it comes to having adequate representation, there’s a world of difference between having to represent yourself before the Judge, and having an experienced proven Advocate to intercede on your behalf.

Ron Hughes
© September 2008